First Class First Year

[OldGreyEagle]

ladies and gentlemen (if indeed the case be so)FCE is not so much a personal goal for the scout, as a guide for the Troops program to have the components that will allow an active scout to reach first class in a year. If after a year, a troop can look back and say that all its scouts had the opportunity to earn first class by attending events on a regular basis,then they did their part. The scout also has to make the effort to be at events when advancement opportunities occur

[Hunt]

"If after a year, a troop can look back and say that all its scouts had the opportunity to earn first class by attending events on a regular basis,then they did their part. The scout also has to make the effort to be at events when advancement opportunities occur."

 

I think this boils it down very well. But when you look back, what do you measure? I submit that you should first look at that FC tracking sheet and see whether you in fact had activities that would have allowed an active boy to accomplish all the requirements. If you did have those activities, and a substantial number of boys still didn't make FC in the FY, then you probably have a different problem--most likely spotty participation by a number of your boys. The solution to that is probably not adding on more advancement campouts, but to see whether your overall program is fun and appealing.

I continue to believe that boys will stay in Scouting if and only if they're having a great deal of fun.

 

[evmori]

I gotta agree with Hunt!

 

I know the BSA has stated that Scouts who achieve 1st Class in the 1st year stick with the program longer than those who don't (still haven't seen any numbers to validate that). And I think someone posted that the sons of leaders stay in the program longer (no numbers here, either). So why hasn't the BSA developed SOLE (Sons of Leaders Emphasis)?

 

Boys will stay in Scouting if they are having a good time regardless of when they earn 1st Class.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[madkins007]

Is there any evidence that the newer 'simplified' First Class being attained in the first 12-18 months keeps Scouts longer than the older, harder First Class that often took 2-3 years used to?

 

 

[evmori]

madkins007,

National based their statement on data they complied & analyzed. I have asked here and other places to see the numbers to back up the statement:

 

The First Class Emphasis increases the tenure of new Scouts by focusing on each Scout and his personal advancement needs.

 

I have yet to see any statistics.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[jr56]

I have always thought that this is a case of making an invalid assumption from statistics. I feel that the boys who achieve first class within one year are the boys who are actively participating in the scouting program and having a good time. It makes sense that the boys who are enjoying the program are the ones who are going to stick around. Whether or not they achieve the rank of first class has nothing to do with it.

[Torveaux]

Spot on JR56,

 

The same sort of hogwash is used in the education field all of the time. Stats are misunderstood or intentionally distorted to push some agenda or another. Of course, 100% of Eagle Scouts reached 1st Class, so it is easy to create such misleading conclusions.

 

The Troops that were doing it right before the new 'emphasis' did not really need the new 'emphasis'. Those that were doing the old program wrong are likely just changing over to another bad implementation of a good program.

 

As for leaders getting better, we all would like that, but the reality is that the average leader is just a mom or a dad that wants to be involved in their kids' lives. They see Scouting as a way to help them grow young men. Some see Eagle as the path to scholarships and job opportunities. Eagle to them is just another i to dot on the boy's resume. Any program designed to speed that process is great to those people. We would all like to have Districts and Troops filled with uber-leaders that adhere to the program, understand what boy-lead really means, and have fun. The reality is simply that we will never get there. We will have a few Bob White's that know the program inside and out and can instantly grasp the meaning of new emphases. Sadly the majority will muddle through the way they have 'always done it' and we will continue to churn out 13 year old Eagles that are immature and have no retention of the skills they learned at 11.

 

Personally, I think the idea of FCE is wrong-headed. If you enrich the program from Scout to 2nd Class, you will retain as many or more boys because it is fun and useful. This emphasis effectively says that the first 3 ranks are meaningless. Also, if over half of a Scout's advancement opportunities come in the first year, that takes away a portion of the program from the next 6 years of the Scouting experience.